It
came
down to the final game of the season, but the Sharks finally know who
they'll
be playing in the upcoming Stanley Cup playoffs. After a gut wrenching
4-3
overtime loss to the visiting Vancouver Canucks on Saturday afternoon,
the
Sharks finished the season set as the 5th seed in the Western Conference,
which
will square them off against the Nashville Predators.

The Sharks
staged a thrilling comeback with 33 seconds remaining in regulation, only
to
see Mathias Ohlund score the game winner 34 seconds into the extra period
after
Joe Thornton was sent to the penalty box for tripping at the start of
overtime.

Vancouver may want to send a thank you card to Kerry Fraser and
Kelly
Sutherland, after the two gift wrapped power play opportunities for the
Canucks
in the 3rd period and then to setup the game winner.

Kevin
Bieksa
staked the Canucks to a 3-2 lead 7 minutes to the 3rd period after Curtis
Brown
was whistled for hooking. The Sharks looks destined to end the regular
season
with a regulation loss, but Jonathan Cheechoo notched his 27th goal of
the
season after Sharks head coach Ron Wilson pulled Evgeni Nabokov with a
minute
to play.

Cheechoo swatted at the puck as a scrum broke out in
front of
the Vancouver net, slipping the puck underneath goaltender Roberto
Luongo's
pads to the delight of a sell out crowd at HP Pavilion.

San Jose
was forced to play catch up all day. Matt Cooke
gave Vancouver a 1-0 lead just 1:56 into the game on a wild rush in front
of
Nabokov. The Canucks used their speed to move the puck up ice, then tried
jamming a shot past Nabokov. The Sharks goaltender stopped the first
wave, but
Cooke punched home the rebound after Sharks captain Patrick Marelau
failed to
tie up the trailing defenseman.

Tyler Pyatt would make it 2-0 at
4:38
of the opening period on deflection in front after Sami Salo threw the
puck on
net from the blueline.

The Sharks would regroup at the 1st
intermission and convert early in the 2nd period. Milan Michalek
converted on a
power play 48 seconds in to the period. Joe Thorton hit Michalek on the
doorstep with a 40-foot pass, that Michalek deflected past Luongo after
brushing Bieksa aside. The Canucks defenseman took exception to the
man-handling and tried cross checking Michalek after the puck was
deposited.

Joe Thornton tied the game at 2-2 with 4:26 remaining
in the middle period on a power play after Luongo earned a delay of game
penalty for smothering the puck 20 feet outside the crease. Jan Bulis was
sent
off hooking a minute after Luongo's infraction to give the Sharks 52
seconds of
5-on-3 time. Thornton swept home a rebound from his usual spot at the
bottom of
the right circle after a shot from Marleau was deflected his way.

The
Sharks were whistled three times for penalties in the 3rd period,
including a
boarding call on Thornton with 5 minutes remaining in regulation that had
the
Canucks seething after the game. Thornton smacked his face on the glass
after
checking Cooke from behind on a rush to a loose puck, bloodying his nose
and
sending him to the dressing room. The Canucks

Wilson made no bones about his intent to send a message to players like
Cooke.

Ohlund ended
things when his shot from the point, knuckled after hitting Curtis
Brown's
stick. The puck changed it's trajectory, fooling Nabokov for the game
winner.

Notes:

The Sharks held Bill Guerin out of the lineup
for the
second consecutive game as a precaution. Mark Smith skated in warm-ups
and
should be available when the playoffs start later this week.

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